


kiss (like real people do)

by yoonminsmofo



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Zayn, Cheerleader Harry, Fluffy, Football Player Niall, Hurt Liam, M/M, New Kid Zayn, Shy Zayn, angsty, but he gets happy, but it furthers the plot, everything tbh - Freeform, louis is garbage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 18:19:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11041662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoonminsmofo/pseuds/yoonminsmofo
Summary: Zayn is the new kid at Acadia High and as Niall is the most popular guy on campus, he is assigned to working with the new guy who gives him more feelings than are necessary.





	kiss (like real people do)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everybody! Well this fic has been coming for a very long time and I fell in love with the route I pushed it on and all the directions I took this! It's my dream high school au with all the angst and fluff it needs! I hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> Special thanks to my beta Erika who read through and fixed things and helped it reach the potential it needed!

Niall had it all. From a very young age, Niall was guaranteed all of the best things in life. His parents weren't short on money and with his brother so much older than him, Niall was spoiled rotten. He'd always had the best clothes and the latest phone and had fresh haircuts at least every two weeks. Niall never went without and that never stopped, even through school.

In school, every single year, Niall was the most popular kid. He was friends with everyone and with his funny and lovable personality, everyone had always wanted to be around him. That didn't change all through school until popularity became important and Niall became the king of high school. He was elected president of his class each year and was hoping to win for junior year too for three straight years as president.

"Niall, you got this. Don't stress. No one else is more qualified for president and you know that," Liam assures him in their English class. It's the end of the day and before the dismissal bell rings, they'll announce president and vice president of each class. Niall just watches the clock tick by and feels his hope rise with each second.

Finally, the intercom makes a loud noise and Niall immediately sits up to hone in.

"Alright, Acadia High! Now it's about time to announce class president and vice president!" All of Niall's friends stop to listen and Niall feels very positive. The voice announces freshman and sophomore class first and Niall sits up intently to listen in for the juniors.

"For Junior class, we have vice president Mr. Liam Payne!" Niall claps his best friend on the shoulder and everyone claps for him until the voice comes back. "And now for class president," everyone pauses in silence, "Mr. Niall Horan!" Niall feels his heart burst happily. He made it again for the third year straight. All of his friends congratulate him on a job well done and he smiles at all the praise. 

"Congrats, Niall. Lee-yummy," Louis says as he passes the two out of the class. Niall's eyebrows shoot up curiously as he turns to Liam who burns bright red.

"Lee-yummy? That one's new. Where did that come from?" Niall asks. He knows about their _shenanigans_ and he knows that Liam and Louis are all sorts of fucked up, but it's okay as long as Niall gets to know about it.

"Uh, the other night, he climbed into my room like usual," Liam whispers so only Niall can hear about his issues. "But he had a bar of chocolate he stole from a 24 hour shop and yeah you can figure out the rest. Then he called me that and he hasn't let it go this whole time." Niall was astonished by how far Liam and Louis moved, considering Liam was straight and Louis was dating someone. It was a weird mix of people and it was even more weird how well they worked it all out.

Niall lifted his bag onto his shoulders and began walking to the parking lot, Liam right beside him. "I mean, I'm no expert, but I don't think all this is healthy. He has a boyfriend, Liam. And you're going to get hurt," Niall explains gently. There's no point trying to talk sense into Liam, especially on matters about Louis, but Niall can really try.

Liam shrugged beside him, the idiot, and he kept walking. "I don't know. I don't care, either. Um, I have to go. Bye, Niall." Liam didn't even wait, just passed Niall on his way to his car. Niall took no hard feelings, knowing Liam was always awkward about his affections for boys - or really, just Louis - and that trying to make him think about it for too long caused for problems for everyone.

Niall just kept walking through the halls by himself and went straight to his car.

Sitting in his car, Niall was thinking over the Liam thing. He worried about his best friend often, was always thinking about his situation and how it would eventually turn out for everyone. Niall had always had the kind of worried and careful personality where his needs went unnoticed in favor of others, it was probably why he was so good at being president in school. And Liam was a little more careless and, though he didn't know Louis very well, he knew the chestnut haired guy was just as careless and if not, then more.

Shaking those thoughts, Niall pulled out of the student parking lot and made his way home. His mom had always wanted him home as soon as possible because she was a worry-wart and Niall meant the world to her. Not that he could complain, it made him who he was now and that caused for many advantages.

"Hello, love! How was class?" Maura yells the second he comes into his house. He drops his bag on the floor and kicks his shoes off before moving to the kitchen where his mom is sitting by the bar and watching the news on the tv.

Niall engulfs her in a big hug from behind and plants a kiss on her cheek. "School was fine. Won class president! Liam won vice, again!" Maura smiles brightly and hugs him tightly in congratulations. "Yeah, it was all fun. I have a feeling about this year. I think it's gonna be the best one yet." Niall knows everyone thinks that every year, but he really feels it. He feels it in his chest this time.

**

While Niall may be a straight AB student most of the time, he still can't fight the fatigue that comes from his advanced physics class that he has first thing in the morning. He lies his head down, promises he's just resting his eyes, until he's drooling over his notebook, only jumping up when the phone rings loudly.

"Who? Oh, yeah, he's in here. Alright, I'll tell him," Mr. Austin says into the phone. Niall barely listens, just falling asleep again, when the teacher comes up to his desk. "Ms. Morales is calling you down to her room. You can go now if you'd like, seeing as you're sleeping in here anyway." A small chorus of oooohs erupt from the other students and Niall burns red on his way out of the class.

Niall curiously walks down to Ms. Morales's room, wondering whether he's fallen into trouble or if she has good news for him, whatever it may be. Without too much thought, Niall knocks on her door when he gets to it.

"Hi, Ms. Morales," Niall says kindly when said teacher opens her door. "You're looking lovely today." The boy flashed her his signature grin and proceeded through the doorway.

Ms. Morales smiles back at him with a playful eye roll as she pulls out a piece of paper before sitting down and motioning for Niall to do the same.

"Hello, Niall. I have a new assignment for you," she begins before turning the page over to him, barely glancing up from her black rimmed frames. "So, we have a new student coming in and I was wondering if you'd mind being his student guide for a few days considering you're president and all. He's from Bradford and he's a very sweet kid, I've left you his number and I told him to expect your call or text or whatever, if you're up for it," Ms. Morales says. As sponsor of the junior class, she tries her best to make everyone feel as welcome as possible and that includes the newest member of the junior class team.

Niall smiles in turn, always ready to meet new people, and then puts the new number in his phone. "Yeah, I'm totally up for it. What's his name?"

"His name's Zayn Malik, from Bradford, like I said. He's in your grade, kinda shy so I think you'll be a good person to really open him up. I don't know much about him, but those are the basics. I think you'd be pretty good for this. He's expected here tomorrow, so text him tonight and get to know him, okay?" Ms. Morales slides over the paper to him and it's her way of dismissing him.

But Niall... "No, I don't want to go yet. Physics is so boring. Can you give me another assignment?" Niall pleads. He will do anything to stay out of Mr. Austin's class.

However, when Ms. Morales gives him a devious look and turns to her desk, Niall knows his best option is to leave. "You could help me sort papers for every single student in the junior class and-"

"Fine, fine! I'm leaving! Bye, Ms. Morales!" Niall says over his shoulder. He hears one last chuckle from the woman before she says bye as well and the door shuts behind him.

Looking down at the one and only Z contact in his phone, Niall contemplates texting him yet. Would it be weird? Where was this Zayn kid? Was he in his own class?

 _Hi, is this Zayn Malik?_ Niall just sends it without thought on his way back to class. Not a minute later, he gets a response.

**Yes? Who's this?**

_Hi! I'm Niall Horan, president of the junior class, and I'm going to be your guide for the first few days!_

**Okay, cool** Niall seems to wait for a while for a response before he just texts him back.

_Do you have any questions?_

**Sure. Is there a good art program? I'm more of an art kid than anything else**

_I really don't know. I'm not too artistically inclined. I could ask around though? Some of my friends say it's a very good program_

_Anything else?_

**Okay that's good**

**Yeah. What's the student body like? I got bullied a little in my old school and I don't want that happening again**

_I don't tolerate bullying at all and neither do my friends so if you stick with us, we won't let anything happen to you. There are still some dicks around but if they bother you, just tell me and I'll take care of them_

**Okay. Thanks**

_Yeah of course! Can I help with anything else?_

**No I think I'm good**

**Wait, where do you want to meet tomorrow?**

_How about you give me your address and I give you a ride?_

**No, I couldn't ask you to do that**

_Nah don't worry. I'm offering. Maybe if I can get you early enough, we can stop by the best breakfast place in town_

**Okay yeah. Here's my address**

_Nice. Does 6 sound good?_

**Yeah sounds good**

_Alright! See you tomorrow!_

Niall feels excited for the following day and it must show on his face as Liam nudges him.

"Got a cute one's number, then?" Liam's eyebrows wiggle and it makes Niall laugh loudly.

"No, mate! New kid coming in tomorrow. He sounds like a cool guy, I'm excited for it. Morales appointed me his "student guide," Niall says with air quotes. He keeps glancing at his phone to see if Zayn has texted him, but he hasn't and it does make Niall a small bit sad. "I think it should be fun."

Liam looks at him incredulously before snorting in a laugh. "You're such a dork. Only you would be ready and happy to enlist in student guide for some new kid."

At 5 in the morning, Niall was groaning and smacking his phone to snooze his alarm, already tired and ready to get back to bed. But he couldn't do that as he remembered he had a thing with Zayn Malik of Bradford. He couldn't explain it, but he was nervous to meet him, and Niall was never nervous to meet anyone. He's never had those jitters of hoping someone likes him, is always comfortable in his skin and comfortable enough around new people.

But this Zayn kid, who sounds so intelligent and artistic and cool, makes Niall endlessly nervous about nearly everything. He doesn't want to mess this up, he thinks, as he throws his fifth outfit off to the side. This is another problem; Niall's already shit when it comes to getting ready and when he needs to make an impression, he's even worse.

When his phone reads 5.40 and Niall is just getting his socks on, he puts a move on his morning and goes to brush his teeth and do his hair. Niall hurried to his car and puts in the address that will take him twenty minutes to get to.

Niall likes driving in the morning because no one is around and it's still dark and dreary out. He turns on the radio as he proceeds in the opposite direction towards a house he's never seen. Zayn had said it was small, blue with white trim and a window by the door above a garden. When he reaches the general direction and spots and cute, small, blue house, Niall calls Zayn to tell him to come outside.

"Hey," Niall says into the phone. "Yeah I'm sure I'm outside. It's a red suv, got the lights on, right outside." Zayn still hasn't spoken a word, but when Niall hears a sound, he's surprised about the sweet giggle.

"Sorry to disappoint, love, but I'm standing outside and I don't see you. Like, I see a car down the road if you just want to back up like a lot," Zayn says. Niall looks back and he sees a boy in almost all black at the end of the road behind him. Slowly backing up, he hears a click on the line before Zayn's smooth voice says, "Yup! That's you! Just c'mon back until you get to me, I won't miss you." So Niall does do just that and pulls back until he's right next to a guy his age with black hair.

Niall rolls down the passenger window and leans over. "Are you Zayn Malik?" Niall gives the boy a quick look over what he can see and he feels words get stuck in his throat as the guy smiles brightly at him.

"Yeah, that's me. You're Niall Horan. Nice to meet you. Can you, like, unlock the door? It's cold," Zayn shivers after his words and Niall immediately unlocks the door and brings him in. Zayn's hair sits coiffed perfectly on his head and he's wearing a large blue cardigan and a white tee over very ripped jeans. Niall knows his parents would scoff at Zayn's attire, they would look him over and immediately kick him out of the car, but Niall finds him interesting. He finds _himself_ dressed like less than, if anything, in a polo and khakis and Sperrys.

"-Probably get on if we don't want to be late," Niall hears from beside him. He turns to the hazel eyed boy and swallows the lump in his throat before putting the car in drive and moving ahead.

Both boys sit quietly in the car, kinda awkwardly, until Niall pulls into the drive through of a cafe called Ramona. They don't have time to stop, but Niall looks over to Zayn and asks what he wants.

"What do you suggest then?" Zayn asks turning entirely towards Niall. Niall swallows dryly, listing off the best drinks and breakfast items. "Can I have a spiced chai and gingersnap? How much do I owe you?" Zayn goes to pull his wallet from his bag, but Niall chuckles.

"Don't worry, I got it." Niall flashes Zayn a big grin and he places their orders before driving forward to the pay window. They fall into weird silence as they wait for the food, but when they get it, Zayn thanks Niall and offers to pay the next one. Something in Niall burns at the thought of a next one, of a next time with Zayn. He doesn't know what it is, but he doesn't pay mind to it as he drives off to school.

When they pull in, Niall takes Zayn to Ms. Morales, who has all of his information in a file.

"Mr. Zayn Malik! Wonderful to meet you, how was your morning?" Ms. Morales asks nicely. She sits across from Zayn while Niall goes to the computer to play some music. "Definitely wasn't my best plan to put you with him," she says jokingly with a point in Niall's direction.

"I'm quite the catch, actually," the blond mutters before playing a song and sitting next to Zayn. Both boys face the woman who hands over a file and gives Zayn his information.

"So you're from Bradford. You came from Tong, then. What was your education level there?" Ms. Morales pulls a sweet smile as she flips Zayn's schedule over and lets him look over it. "Will any of these classes cause for problems?"

Zayn goes over his schedule and when he doesn't find any problems, he nods his head. Ms. Morales nods at him with a smile back. "Alright, Zayn. I think that should be it, really. Niall can show you your classes." Niall and Zayn move to stand up and grab their things and Ms. Morales ushers them to the door. "It's a pleasure meeting you, Zayn. You'll fit right in. I promise."

Unfortunately, this was definitely not the case as Zayn was sitting in his English class for all of twenty minutes and had been entirely ignored the entire time. When Niall dropped him off, everyone said hi to him and Zayn had to hold himself enough to not beg Niall to stay with him and never let go, but the blond left with a squeeze on his shoulder and a soft smile.

Zayn had already hated it. All of it. He was sitting in the corner all by himself, nobody acknowledging him or helping him out with what he needed. He was all alone and if there was one thing Zayn hated more than anything was feeling alone and that's all that he was feeling. It was hard for him to make friends in general and in the new environment he was put in, it was even more difficult to do that. Luckily, English was one of his strong suits so he could sit and barely pay attention.

When the bell rang for his next class, Zayn went rigid. He didn't know the shook and Niall was supposed to help him out. Niall said he'd be there. Zayn left the class with everyone else and looked at his schedule at the jumble of numbers and letter. There was a little C218 on his paper that indicated his next class, but he was only in front of A103. He didn't even know where the C building was.

He couldn't ask one of the kids walking past. Most were talking to people and having their own conversation or listening to their headphones. Plus it would only make him look like an even bigger loser than he already was.

In a few minutes, the halls started emptying out and the ruckus of people simmered to scattered conversation as people got to their classrooms. Zayn's anxiety only rose the longer he was out in the hall all alone until a familiar voice began calling for him.

"Zayn!" He turned at the voice to spot Niall down the hall running at him. Zayn walks towards him until the blond meets up to him with a bright smile. "Z, why aren't you in class? The C building is on the other side of the school!"

It takes maybe three minutes for both boys to get to the C building and in front of the art classroom. Zayn's nervous, in all honesty, but he can't let Niall know this much and let the blond worry about him more than he needs to or already has.

"It's art class, Zayn. You should be ready for this. It's exciting, right?" Niall tries to encourage the black haired boy who's obviously still too shy to really be comfortable with anything. Niall understands, though, even in the slightest, what that means. "I know you can go right in there and put everyone to shame with your art!" Niall says loudly. It brings the slightest quirk to Zayn's lips and he feels confident for a second. "You'll be fine, I swear. I need to get to my class, so will you be okay?" Niall pulls the bag on his back higher up, leaving one last glance at Zayn's face.

Zayn psychs himself up and he nods before waving the blond off and watching him leave quickly. When Zayn gets into the art room, no one turns to stare at him or stop their own conversations and the lack of attention makes him more comfortable. He walks over to an empty chair and waits patiently for the class to start.

"Hi there, are you Zayn Malik?" The teacher bends over to him with a soft smile. She has long blond hair tied up into a bun of pencils and her skirt touches the floor. Zayn nods softly in her direction before she grabs a piece of paper and puts it in front of him. "Wonderful. Now for our first day, we're each drawing something that reminds us of ourselves. It's got to be a secret because we're going to share them at the end and see who can guess who is who!" Zayn doesn't like the sound of that at all, just wants Niall back beside him and making him feel comforted.

He draws for the next thirty minutes of allotted time without disturbances until this girl with bright pink hair turns to him.

"Hmm, you must be new. I'm Macey." Zayn takes her outstretched hand with a short smile. "You're quiet. I like you." Zayn turns a vibrant shade of red that he hopes isn't noticeable, but she immediately comments on it. "You're so cute."

Zayn feels a pang in his chest that he doesn't quite like but he ignores it in favor of working over his art. Macey doesn't like that apparently as she takes his art and gawks over it. With a quick whistle, she breathes out, "Ms. Landry was right. You are talented. I'm pushing you into the art exhibit." It happens so quick, Zayn doesn't have any time to protest or think before Macey goes up to the teacher's desk. "Mom, I found our exhibit guy. Make sure he gets in, yeah?" 

Zayn is still awfully confused, but now he shakes his head over at the two women in surprise. "No, I can't, you don't even know me?" 

"I don't need to know  _you_ to know talent and I want you to feature our school at the exhibit." Macey doesn't give him any other chance to protest before she goes to her desk and leaves a confused Zayn by Ms. Landry's desk. 

The blond woman sighs with a laugh before handing him a slip of paper. "Macey is my talent searcher. Um, tell your parents about this, yeah? Let me know by tomorrow, please."

By the end of the day when Zayn walks to where Niall waits in the courtyard with his friends, he's so stressed and tired and he just wants to get home. "How was your first day, mate?" Niall asks brightly. He buckles into his seat before pulling out of the lot and turning down the rather soft music. "Anything new or exciting?" 

A thought of Zayn letting Niall know about his art exhibit crosses his mind but he shuts it down just as fast as it comes up, doesn't ever think Niall would take interest in an art exhibit, nonetheless his. "Um, no. Nothing exciting, just a day, I guess." Zayn's curt enough in his answer that Niall stays quiet for the rest of the trip. "Thanks for everything," he mutters when Niall drops him off. The blond tells him it was no problem and he'll be back in the morning before flashing a toothy grin and driving off.

Zayn trudges into his house with all of the weight and stress of the day, but perks up when he notices his mother sitting at the dinner table. She normally would be at her second job by now, but Zayn's remarkably grateful for her presence as he hugs her gently. 

"Zayn, sunshine!" Trisha says happily. She wraps Zayn up in her arms as loving as ever and the stress of the entire day falls off of his shoulders. "How was your day? Any new friends?" Zayn smiles crookedly at her with a nod.

"Something of the sort. Also," Zayn gets the paper from his pocket and unfolds it so his mom can read over it. "This girl said she wanted me to do it and the teacher said yeah so I just need your permission." Zayn watches her read it tentatively before he notices soft tears in the folds of her eyes. "Mum-"

"Yes, absolutely. Love, I'm so proud of you. You're going to do something amazing. I knew it since you were young." Trisha smooths over a piece of his hair and she smiles sweetly. "It will be your year. I love you."

Zayn feels her words curl around him like her own special hug and he wraps her up in his arms to keep his own tears at bay. 

**

Late on a Wednesday night, around 1 or so, Niall got a call. He had thought it might've been Zayn, probably needing something or needing someone to talk to like he often did when he couldn't sleep. However, the blond was more than surprised when he saw it was Liam calling; Liam, his best friend, who he hadn't talked to properly in weeks.

"Yeah, Li, what's up?" Niall says worriedly into the phone. Though he is tired as all hell, he'd always prioritize his friends.

"Niall, I need you. Something happened," Niall sat up in his bed after hearing his friend's more than panicked voice through the high quality speaker of his phone. "It's really bad. It's really really bad. I need you, I fucked up." Niall's never heard Liam be this freaked out and babbling as much as he is. It has to be very serious.

"Alright, can you meet me at the park now?" Liam agrees hastily and then hangs up. Niall gets up quickly and he moves quietly to get himself dressed before dropping out of the window.

At the park, Liam's there pacing back and forth like he's ridding himself of something. He looks like he's on the verge of a breakdown and Niall jogs to catch him. "Liam, mate, what's happened? You look like shit--"

"Harry walked in on us, Niall. Louis said Harry was out of town and so I went to his house and we were getting down to it and we were doing it, Niall, fuck we were fucking, and Harry walked in and his whole face sank and Harry doesn't get mad or sad and he started crying and Louis just- Louis just let me go. He told me to get out of his house, he said he didn't want me.

"And I knew that. I knew I was just a fuck game to him, but it still hurt to have it be verified. I don't know what to even think about any of it. Louis told me he loved me a month ago when he got very drunk, and then he pushed me away like nothing. I know I was a game. I know I'm just a straight, popular boy he can fuck with, but that's not what he was to me." Liam gripped the hair on top of his head and looked near tears and Niall had never seen him like this over anybody, not even his cheating ex-girlfriend.

"He's my man, Niall. As shit as that sounds, he's _my_ man. He's the first guy I've ever experienced anything with. He's going to be my man for the rest of my life no matter who comes along. And I'm just dirt. He has his man, I'm his notch. The shiny, proud, popular notch on his belt."

Both boys fall silent for a while, Niall not talking because he doesn't know what to say, and Liam not talking because he's scared of what he's saying. The air becomes tense and the breeze whipping in the trees deafens the both of them until Liam plops down into the grass, his hands trembling and his body completely defeated.

"I'm not gay, Niall. I'm not gay, but I love him. I love him so much it hurts," Liam whispers. Niall follows his friend down to his knees before enveloping him in a big hug to reassure him that Niall loves him and will always be there for him.

They hold each other tightly, Liam sobbing into the air and Niall telling him it's okay, it's okay to be gay or bi or pan or whatever, it's okay over and over. They don't know how long it's been, how long they've been sitting out in the open like this in the middle of the night, but Liam eventually runs out of tears and Niall figures out that it's very late and they both do need to go home.

"Mate, I think we need to go home. Maybe get some sleep, don't go to school tomorrow," Niall suggests gently. Liam definitely hasn't put any thought into actually going to school and seeing Louis any time soon and the thought makes him sick to his stomach all over again. "It's okay, Liam, please. Let's take you home."

Standing up slowly, Niall takes Liam into his arms and wraps a hand around his waist to hold him up. Niall takes Liam over to the sidewalk and they move together to the Liam's house where Niall watches him crawl through his window.

"Be good, don't be stupid, and please text me if anything goes wrong." Niall plants a gentle kiss to Liam's temple before he goes down the road towards his own house, his eyes heavy with fatigue and mind scrambling with worry.

When he finally gets home, he falls into his bed and immediately falls asleep, still messed up with worry over his best friend.

**

Niall shows up to Zayn's house a few mornings later looking and feeling like shit. He texts Zayn and when the black haired boy gets in the car, he immediately notices Niall's shift.

"Ni, you look like hell. What happened?" Zayn asked worriedly, turning completely to Niall.

The blond haired boy shrugged, ran a hand through his hair, and put both hands on the wheel. "My mate, Liam, he's been weird. He kept me up all last night on a call and I love him to death, but I can't run on two hours of sleep," Niall explains with a chuckle. It's humorless and it looks like it take all of Niall's energy to force the laugh and not fall asleep right there.

"Mate, you're gonna kill us," Zayn says softly. He puts a hand on Niall's back to feel the warmth through his sweater and act as a comforting force. He rubs his shoulders and upper back gently, keeping a worried eye on the blond driver.

"Zayn, do you mind if Liam walks with us? He's had a bad past few days and I don't want to leave him alone," Niall asks softly. He doesn't quite know how Zayn will feel about a new addition to the slowly growing comfort they've made, but Liam needs it. After his breakdown just the night before, Niall needed to make sure Liam was occupied by somebody and he preferred for it to be him.

Zayn lifts his bag higher up on his shoulder before shrugging like nothing. "Sure. Is he nice?" Zayn still had a small bit of worry over how this Liam guy would be, if he would be nice or mean and all that. He was barely comfortable with Niall, even.

"He's the sweetest, Z. You're going to love him. He's hitting some rough patches and he's stubborn so he won't listen to anybody and gets himself into problems that way." Niall rolls his eyes when his phone dings and Liam messages him about his location. "Alright, he said he's by   
the gates so we can just swing by there and get him, yeah?" Niall and Zayn turn around to walk the campus towards the front where a guy stands with headphones and sweats. He looks pretty beat up and Zayn can't hide the fact that he is worried for him too.

"Li, I want you to meet Zayn. Zayn, this is Liam." Zayn waves to the brunette who gives him a nice smile, though maybe a little forced.

When the three boys fall into sync beside each other, they fall into silence. Niall stands beside Zayn with one headphone in, Liam stands to his other side much the same, and Zayn walks beside the two popular boys with his hands in his pockets. It feels weird to have a new presence in their bubble, but Zayn deals with it for Niall's sake and for this poor guy's sake. He looks like he's seen much better days.

"Z," Niall says in a whisper. "You want to go out for food after school? Just you and me, yeah? I can explain the whole Liam thing." Zayn can't help the butterflies that rise in his chest at the thought of how Niall could possibly value him more than he values Liam. Not like he's jealous of Liam, but who can blame him if he would much rather hang out with Niall alone?

"Yeah, sure, Ni. Ramona?" Zayn says with a hopeful smile on his face. When Niall nods, the smile grows tenfold and a feeling jitters into Zayn's chest.

**

"So, Liam right?" Niall says before he whistles through his teeth, "That boy has got so many issues. I'll tell you all about it after we order." Zayn gets a hot cinnamon bun and tea and Niall orders a pressed sandwich that he asks for one half with pickles and one without because he knows Zayn will wants half and he hates pickles.

"Liam, I mean, I love him so much. He's my best friend in the world, but that boy is so stubborn." Niall takes his half of the sandwich and takes a bite before taking Zayn's tea and taking a swig. "He's got this weird relationship with Louis Tomlinson. Don't know if you've met him, wild haired guy with super blue eyes and a fucked attitude. But anyway, he attracted Liam in some way and Liam is like supposedly not gay, but he's done some pretty gay shit with Louis." The terminology makes Zayn laugh out, hands reaching for his half of the sandwich.

Zayn puts a hand over his mouth to swallow before he looks over to Niall. "What kind of gay shit? And what's the big deal if he is with this Tomlinson guy?"

"That's the thing! So the other night, they were doing the dirty like all the way and Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson's boyfriend, walks in on them." Zayn's jaw drops in shock. "That prick Louis told Liam to leave and that he was a mistake like he was trying to pin it on Liam when Louis shouldn't have been cheating in the first place." Niall scoffs. He hates that Liam's been reduced to nearly nothing because of Louis. "And like I like them, I love Harry, but Liam's my best mate. What am I supposed to do, take their side?" Niall rolls his eyes, obviously upset about the whole situation, and Zayn just chuckles and takes Niall's sandwich.

"Niall," Zayn calms the blond haired boy with a soft smile before he laughs. "I think Liam is a big boy. I think he's more than capable of dealing with his own situations. It's alright to worry, but you're way too stressed. You almost fell asleep at the wheel this morning and killed both of us." Zayn chuckles at is words and Niall starts in a chuckle too.

Before Zayn knows it, Niall brings him into a big hug. He wraps his strong arms tight around Zayn. "You know, Z, you're right. I shouldn't be worrying about them if it costs your life." Zayn knows he's trying to be serious, but he laughs loudly and yells when Niall takes a big bite from is cinnamon bun, the once tense lunch date going back to normal.

Zayn meets these two new boys on, what turned out to be, a pretty eventful morning. In the cafeteria, Liam and Niall are sitting either side of Zayn as they all catch up on their math review. It's silent as they work separately until someone slams both palms down on the table before them.

"Listen, Lima, I don't know why the fuck you've been ignoring me, but you better cut that shit out real quick," a small chestnut haired guy yelled. It made Zayn jump and he slightly nudged closer into Niall's side.

"You know exactly why, Louis, can we not do this now? Or is this the only time you can get away from that boyfriend of yours anymore?" Everyone winces at the tone of voice Liam takes on, accusatory and rude and so unlike Liam. "Please, Lou, not here, I-"

"Lou Lou!" comes a voice from a few tables away. Zayn looks up to spot a curly haired boy in his black and yellow cheer top and tight jeans giving an impression to mile long legs. The boy moves closer and closer until he wraps an arm around Louis's shoulder and Louis immediately circle his waist. "Morning, guys! Who's this cutie?" The very cheery boy sits across from Zayn and smiles at him widely. "I'm Harry. What's your name?"

Zayn feels the shyness creep up his throat a little and he feels nervous but he tries to smile back at Harry. "My name's Zayn. 'm, uh, new." The other boy, Louis he thinks, sits down to the blatant discomfort of Liam, but he smiles to Zayn.

"You are so cute. How come I've never seen you around?" Zayn, not being used to the praise, moved even closer to Niall, the person he was really truly comfortable with before the blond laughed softly and nudged him with his elbow.

"Liam and I need to go see Ms. Morales, Louis and Harry, can I trust you guys to watch over Zayn? He's valuable," Niall says as he and Liam stand. Zayn looks a little scared up at the blond who smiles down at him. "You're alright. It'll only be a little bit and I'll find you later, yeah?" Niall knocks Zayn's chin before he nods at the table and proceeds to follow Liam out the door.

When Zayn turns back to the two guys in front of him after watching his best friend leave, they both look at him expectantly. "Wh-what? Is there something on my face?" Zayn stammers.

Louis and Harry, on the other hand, laugh loudly and shake their heads. "You like Niall, huh?"

This question reverberates in Zayn's subconscious for the rest of his life, but in that moment, he thought he was losing oxygen. "No! What? Niall's just my only friend here and I'm kind of a social wreck without him." Zayn looks down to his math sheet that doesn't hold his interest anymore, before looking back up to the two guys before him. "He's just a friend."

"Well if that's what you call a friend, how about you put two more people on that list, sweets," Harry says. Him and Louis giggle again before they turn to Zayn. Zayn's never had more than one or two friends and definitely has never had friends on the popular end of the spectrum. It's a little sobering, the thought that people actually like him.

So Louis and Harry become a focal point in his life, the two guys always around and always hanging out with him. Zayn sees Liam less and sees Niall less, and Zayn can't help but find the competition in there. He knows vaguely about the Louis and Liam problems and he hates that they can't get along, but it's really none of his business.

"Morning, Zed," Louis says to him when he finds him by the courtyard one morning. Zayn looks up from his phone and smiles at his best friend. "Who were you texting?"

"Just Niall, Lewis. Said we need to hang out because it's been too long. Said you guys are taking me away from him." Zayn snickers, his eyes drifting back to his phone when it vibrates. Another text from Niall pours in, something about meeting him this morning, and Zayn hastily agrees.

"We are not taking you away from him. More like you chose the right friends." Zayn laughs at Louis's words out loud before another message comes in, this one telling Zayn to find Niall in the gym in a few minutes.

"Yeah yeah, well, I'm gonna chill with him this morning. Like, that cool?" Zayn asks softly. Louis looks at him incredulously before nodding.

"You don't have to ask, ya know. What are we gonna do, hold you from your best mate?" The words make Zayn blush but he nods his head and grabs his things. "Go ahead, have fun."

Zayn does go ahead and he finds Niall in the gym where he's kicking a soccer ball with another guy. Zayn doesn't wanna intrude so he silently makes his way over to where Niall's bag is to fetch his headphones. Zayn's had broken the night before and he was going to take advantage of this.

Sitting on the bleachers, Zayn shuffled his music and watched his best mate kick around the ball. He looked unnecessarily good, slightly glowing with the sheen of sweat on his face. His thin white tee clung to his back and his gray gym shorts bounced with the way his knees moved. Zayn couldn't deny to himself or to Louis and Harry or to anybody that he found Niall very attractive. He was loud and brash and he liked sports and he was popular and he was the total opposite to Zayn, but he liked him. Something about the stark differences and the subtle similarities made Zayn so strongly attracted to Niall and it did shock him.

He didn't notice the end of practice until a sweaty presence made itself known in front of him.

"Zen!" Niall yells. When Zayn still doesn't acknowledge him, he shakes out his sweaty head like a dog and Zayn looks up in absolute horror.

"Niall, you ass!" Zayn pulls out both headphones as he stares up at Niall in mock disgust. His eyes are just so blue and his lips are so pink and Zayn could swear Niall looked at his lips too. The mood is quickly killed though when the overbearing smell of sweat and _boy_ makes Zayn plug his nose. "Go shower, you oaf. You smell awful."

Niall looks down at his friend with a wide smile and an outstretched hand. "You smell awful. Now c'mon, let's go to the lockers."

Zayn hates the boy's locker room. Everything about it, from the showers to the dull yellow lockers, he hates. However, he most definitely doesn't hate it when it's just him and Niall. He sits up on the sinks and watches the blond get new, dry clothes and his soaps. Zayn knows he doesn't make a habit of showering in the locker room, but some mornings, when he has to get to practice, he'll just get ready in the lockers after a morning practice.

"Z, I had a question for you," Zayn hears from the showers. Even over the water, Niall's voice rings out and makes itself known. "So I heard about an art exhibit or show or some shit like that and it says you're our school's featured artist. Is that true?"

Zayn freezes down his entire body at the words and contemplates whether or not he should tell Niall. He wonders why Niall's prompted it. Niall would surely find out if he didn't tell him, right? "Yeah, Ni. It's true!" Zayn yells back.

Suddenly, Niall turns over the corner with only a towel covering his lower half as he stares at Zayn incredulously. "You weren't going to tell me? Don't you want your best friend there to support you? I can meet your parents!" Niall says with a loud voice that projects. And while he looks so good right there, wet and dripping and did he mention boner worthy _so good_ , Zayn stares at him funny.

"My parents aren't going. And you don't have to either. No one's gone before, I won't be hurt if you have a much better way to spend your Friday, Niall." Zayn gives Niall a serious look but the blond just laughs out.

"Yeah, Z, okay. Anything for you." 

**

Upon the morning of the art expose, Zayn was immediately trembling. Even just waking up and spotting his suit hanging on the back of his door made his heart drop to his stomach. He was ready to fake an illness and never come back, never go to the expo and never show his face in public again. He knew Louis and Harry weren't going, his knew his parents couldn't, he knew that Liam and Niall wouldn't support him. He knew these things and he had to accept it. It was just the way his life worked.

"Zayn, jaan, are you up?" Trisha says as she steps into the room. She's got her hair up in a curly bun, glasses on the bridge of her nose and a soft glow to her face from cooking in the stuffy kitchen. "I made breakfast. Pancakes and hash like you like." She gives a soft smile to Zayn before she leaves the room and shuts the door behind herself.

Zayn falls back onto his bed releasing a big breath that seems to come from deep inside him. He's so stressed about the expose and he hasn't even gone yet. It's not for another eight hours and Zayn's losing it already. Getting up to face the day, Zayn takes a quick shower and then rushes downstairs to get to the breakfast. His family doesn't normally eat all together with both parents running tight shifts to keep money flowing, but this morning feels better, nicer, everyone all together.

They banter and play and talk all together and for the time being, Zayn forgets his troubles. He forgets his family is struggling and his art expo is soon and Niall is around. He forgets it all and eats happily with his family with nothing but happiness surrounding him.

But that happiness doesn't last very long as everyone has to finish breakfast and his mom sends him to start getting ready. He needs to be there in two hours considering he signed up to help set up and is a featured artists. The suit hangs from the back of his door in its plastic cover and staring at it gives him more nerves than he thinks are entirely necessary. He preps all of his art and the way he wanted it laid out along with coming up with precautionary answers to questions he might be asked.

That alone lasts an hour and before he knows it, he's getting dressed and fixing up his hair into something more presentable. His sisters bid him good luck and so does his dad before he steps out with his mom and gets into the car to wait. They drive to the art center where it'll be held and when they reach the drop off area, Zayn's heart begins beating irrationally. "Mum, I can't do it. I-"

"Jaan," Trisha says softly. She grips Zayn's chin gently and turns him over to look him in the eye. She looks him over softly before kissing Zayn's temple softly. "You are the most amazing artist and the most amazing son. You are so talented and special and other people in the world know this about you too. Tonight will be amazing, you deserve it, love. Don't underestimate it." Trisha presses one more kiss to his forehead and Zayn feels better suddenly. "I love you, sunshine."

Zayn's ends up alone in the center with nobody he knows as everyone sets up the show. As he lies out his artwork the way he wants it, he waits until the doors open and people start rushing in, women in fine gowns and men in expensive suits looking over all the art on the walls. Zayn watches the other artists stand by friends and parents and Zayn can only breathe through his nose and wait until he starts attracting attention.

"Damn," Zayn hears from beside him. He looks over to see who it could possibly be and when he spots Niall looking sharp as ever in a blue suit, he feels his breath pause. Niall looked so good and the face he was pulling was too much and not enough. Regardless of how he looked, Zayn was also shocked just by seeing Niall there. Niall was supposed to be at the game with his friends, why was he wasting a Friday night at Zayn's art expo?

Niall eventually smiles widely as he moves to Zayn's side. "Hi to you too, Zayn! This is so lovely, did you draw this?" On the wall in front of them, all of Zayn's art was displayed under a plaque that said he was representing Acadia High. He was proud of the pieces that were hung up for the public and he was proud of the way Niall looked at each piece. "These are amazing. You're so brilliant, Z."

Zayn stares at Niall in awe, stares at the way his tux suits his body and the way his hair is placed perfectly and everything about him looks so handsome and perfect.

"It's nothing, really. Art's natural to me, I just do what I feel." Zayn explains without letting his gaze leave Niall's face. "Niall, hold on, why are you here?" Zayn's eyes widen at the affronted face Niall makes and he realizes how abrasive and rude he sounds. "No, no, not like that, I mean-"

"I understand, Zayn. Don't worry. I just want to be here for you. I wasn't going to miss this. And you told me Louis and Harry couldn't make it and you weren't sure your parents could afford entrance fee and I thought I could come and support you. I am your biggest fan, ya know. I'm so proud of you." Niall makes Zayn's heart skip seven beats in his chest that make him want to cry out of pure emotion. Niall swoops into Zayn and hugs him close and tight and the black haired boy can't help but hug right back.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. Are either of you Mr. Zayn Malik, by any chance?" The two boys pull away at the lady who looks professional with her pencil skirt and her clipboard. Zayn stands tall and he smiles in her presence.

"Yes, hi, I'm Zayn Malik. What can I help you with?" Niall steps back a little to give Zayn and this lady their space, but he watches proudly at the way Zayn talks with maturity and he holds himself so unlike the shy boy Niall knows.

"Your art is astonishing, truly. We here at the Institute of Art and Media think you would be a valuable asset to our list of students. Regardless of your decision, enclosed in this envelope is 10,000 in scholarships open to any school you want. We would love to have you here sometime. It's been quite the pleasure, Mr. Malik."

Zayn can barely contain his excitement as he grabs the envelope in disbelief. "Th-Thank you so much. This means everything to me, wow," Zayn looks near tears, his hands shaking. "Thank you so much for this." Niall watches as the lady smiles and turns to leave before he walks over to Zayn.

"Niall, I don't even know what to say." Zayn breathes out. His eyes are red rimmed, but he's definitely not sad. He looks to his artwork and he looks to Niall and down to the envelope and he begins actually crying. Niall wraps him in his arms again and brings him close until it's just the two of them wet laughing together.

"I'm so proud of you, Zayn. You deserve it more than anyone else. God, you amaze me."

Zayn pulls away after a little bit and then he grabs Niall and pulls him into the bathroom. He bets he looks like complete and utter shit and he wants some space behind closed doors for him and Niall.

When they push in, Zayn immediately rushes to the mirror and laughs. He looks red as a raspberry and he spots Niall come up next to him and smile crookedly. "I look like a strawberry!"

"You are a strawberry. But it's cute, don't worry." Zayn smiles softly up at Niall and he feels gooey in his chest. He's never felt like this in his entire life but when he looks at Niall, he suddenly feels like jelly. His everything turns hazy and the tingles that shoot from the base of his tummy out through his fingertips make him glow.

Zayn wonders again why Niall came, why Niall cares about him, why he's slowly moving closer and closer to Zayn and looking at him like he's asking for permission.

"Niall," Zayn whispers. He places a hand on said boy's chest to stop him from moving in any further. "What is this? What are you doing?" Zayn asks gently. His breath hitches again as Niall leans into him until their noses touch and Zayn bumps back a little. "Niall-"

Zayn can't finish his question before Niall presses his lips to his and kisses him firmly. Zayn feels like he's on cloud nine, his toes tingling and the universe falling into place as he kisses back eagerly. He touches Niall's cheek and presses into his lips to get more of that feeling, to chase that extraordinary taste.

Niall pulls back first and he presses his forehead to Zayn's to keep them connected in some way. "I don't know what this is, Z. But I know I want it, okay? I want you." Niall laces their fingers together, his eyes closed as he breathes out. "I want all of you and I don't care right now. Can we just enjoy your night?" Zayn nods happily before he's knocking Niall into another kiss that makes Zayn soar.

Not too long after, Zayn and Niall file out of the bathroom and head back to the main room where there's a group of people standing around his work.

"This is amazing! Remarkable! Far beyond his years!"

Standing a bit further back, Zayn gripped Niall's hand in his and looked on at his onlookers. He kept hearing remarks of praise and astonishment that kept making him blush heavily.

"You should tell them it's you, Z. They sound impressed. Why wouldn't they be?" Zayn turned to Niall and laughed softly. He had never received as much praise as he was getting in one night alone and he felt like everything was right with the world for once.

Later that same night, after Niall lifted Zayn's bike into his trunk, Zayn sits in the passenger seat and looks out the window as Niall drives them somewhere. Niall has one hand over Zayn's over the center console and the small designs he traces into the skin makes Zayn blush.

"Are you hungry? We can stop at The Shake Shoppe, if you are." Niall suggests without looking away from the road.

Zayn is hungry, and while a date at a shake shop with Niall sounds amazing, he can't turn away from the pit in his stomach. "But what if you see someone you know? Won't they ask questions?" Zayn doesn't mean to bring up the elephant in the room, but now that he has, he notices that the air has gone incredibly tense.

"Shit, yeah, I didn't think about that." The hurt in Niall's voice is evident and not for the first time, Zayn worries about the fact that he's going to get his heart stomped on.

"It's alright. We can just drive through? Don't want to bust your popularity." Zayn doesn't mean to sound impudent, but he feels so annoyed already. He knew it could only get worse, that Niall would push him away in school and make him feel like less than in public. He knew that the second he saw Niall come into his art expo.

"It's not about my popularity, Zayn. Please don't think that. If I like you, it's nothing to do with how popular I am. It's just - things like this have to move slow. You're amazing and brilliant and so beautiful, but I have a lot on my plate. I've never looked at a boy before, not ever. And then you come out of nowhere and it just messes me all up, having you here doing these things." Niall pulls into the lot of a park Zayn's never seen before and he looks over to Niall curiously.

"Doing what things, Niall?" Zayn asks because he needs to know if he does the same thing to Niall as said blond does to him. He needs to know if Niall gets the same itch to tell the world that they're in love.

Niall sits back in his seat and stares forward into the space. There are lights from underneath in the big city they're over and Zayn watches the lights illuminate Niall's gentle features. "You make me feel- something else. Something I've never felt before. Like I'm on fire while I'm freezing cold. I feel like I'm invincible with you and I can do everything with you. You empower me to be as great as I can possibly be. You're just are so easy to like. You're so easy to love, Z.

"And I need that, especially in my life, something easy and gentle. You're my easy and my gentle. But if someone finds out, it would only complicate things and I don't have room for that." Niall sighs loudly in his seat, the stress of his circumstances bearing down on him. "I just want us, I want you and I. I want everything with you," Niall explains softly. He feels tears well up in his eyes as he turns to Zayn.

Zayn crawls over the center console and straight into the backseat where he's sure there's more space and more privacy. If Niall would just get the hint.

Eventually, the blond does go with him and he sits so close to him, both of their sides touching each other's. "Maybe we can make this work," Zayn whispers. He looks to Niall's piercing blue eyes in the moonlight casting through shadows. "Maybe, like, maybe we can work. Just us two. Nobody else has to know. We can do this." Zayn knows he sounds like a hopeless dreamer, but he believes in himself and believes in those words. They could do this.

Niall still hasn't moved, just staring at him attentively, until he leans over Zayn. He wraps a hand around Zayn's waist, under the white button down beneath his suit, and presses soft lips to Zayn's. Zayn kisses back without thought, hands gripping the lapels of Niall's blazer, intoxicated and addicted to his taste. "This will work," Niall whispers between a kiss, "This will work, I promise. I'm here, I swear." Niall takes Zayn's hand into his, kissing at the knuckles before kissing his lips again with full force.

In the backseat, Niall pulls Zayn over his lap until the black haired boy straddles his thighs, lips still locked. Zayn doesn't know what he's doing, but Niall's hands wrapped around his waist guide him and show him and comfort him and Zayn's not scared for whatever this is.

Niall pushes back his suit vest until it moves down Zayn's arms and falls to the floor. He grips Zayn tighter and presses kisses into his neck. Niall gets off his own jacket and he begins unbuttoning his shirt. When the blond reaches for Zayn's shirt, however, Zayn pulls back quick.

"N-Niall. No, not yet." Zayn moves over Niall's lap to sit in the seat and stare at the blond with wide eyes. As much as he trusted Niall, this wasn't what he had in mind.

Niall seems to come back into himself quickly and he immediately reaches for Zayn. "I'm so sorry, Zayn. Are you okay?" Niall buttons up his shirt as his breathing moves to normal and he turns entirely to Zayn.

"I-I'm fine, Niall. Please don't leave. I-I'll do it if you'll stay, really, look-" Zayn reaches for his shirt again and through trembling fingers, he pops off a button before Niall stops his hands.

"No I don't want that. I won't leave. Calm down, love. What's wrong with you?" Niall asks gently. He's trying to treat Zayn as well as he can, as soft and gently as he can think to all while running a comforting hand down Zayn's side.

Zayn gives him a tearful look, eyes glassed over with emotion noticeable in even the dark of the backseat. "I'm not enough for you. You need someone like you. Th-that's not me," Zayn protests. Whether subconsciously or not, Zayn leans into Niall's warm hand, craving that certainty and comfort like it's a drug.

Niall can't think to do anything else, eventually putting out Zayn's ridiculous notion with a soft kiss. Niall makes sure to place his thumbs on Zayn's jawline, his fingers cupping the back of his neck. Niall kisses him multiple times with each kiss seemingly gentler and nicer than the last. "I don't want anyone else. I don't care if you are different from me. I'll wait for you, okay? I'm not ashamed of you, I promise. I never will be." Niall kisses Zayn's cheek with the lightest of touches and flutters his nose over Zayn's, the black haired boy giggling at the action. In this space over the city and in the warmth of their embrace, Zayn feels more safe and secure than he ever has before.

**

When Monday came around, Zayn was glad Niall was still the same as he'd always been. He was just talking with Louis and Harry in the morning when Niall and Liam came up to them.

"Sup, lads!" Niall says. He wraps an arm around Zayn's shoulders and while it's not a very public gesture considering they're standing in the space behind the bleachers, Zayn feels relief hit him at the fact that Niall is keeping to what he spoke about on Friday.

Though things are still slightly awkward around Liam, Louis, and Harry, Liam is in the process of talking to a girl he likes and Louis and Harry are as strong as ever so they remain civil towards each other, even going as far as joking and shoving around.

"You guys have to come to the footie game tonight. I've got a cheer solo and it's supposed to be amazing!" Harry says happily. He explains the routine in a condensed version and when everyone nods their heads, he smiles.

"Yeah, we'll definitely go. I'm playing main field tonight!" Niall says excitedly. The boys all cheer for him, Zayn looking at him with all the love in the world. "You wanna wear my jersey?" Niall asks lowly. He knocks Zayn's cheek affectionately.

Zayn can almost feel the intense and questioning eyes from the guys around him, but he shakes his head gently. "I don't want that kind of attention. Not yet. It's been like three days?" Zayn says nervously. At attention is definitely not where he thrives and if he just so happened to don Niall's jersey the day of the game, he would definitely receive loads of unwanted attention.

"Alright, that's fine, Z. Whenever you're ready though, yeah?"

When it's time for the big game that night, Zayn gets to hang out in the gym with Niall considering he's got prime boyfriend position at that point. All the guys stare at him funny when he follows into the locker rooms, but Niall smiles at him and whispers for him not to worry and he chooses to trust Niall more than anything.

Niall chills for an hour and then it's time for practice but luckily Louis and Harry have shown up to school and Zayn exchanges his attention. "I'd rather not be here while you practice. The big one with the muscles has been staring far too hard at me for the past hour," Zayn says when Niall asks why he won't stay around.

Niall stares over to his mates on the field before scoffing at who he thinks Zayn may be talking about. "Who, Chris?" Niall laughs like it's nothing as he wraps an arm around Zayn's waist. "He's just jealous his girlfriend can never be as hot as you." Zayn laughs at his words before taking Niall's face into his hands and kissing him. "If you wanna go catch the cheerleaders, you might want to head over now." Zayn nods and presses one last kiss to Niall's lips before he moves over to the opposite side of the field to find the cheerleaders.

Niall, on his end, runs over to the rest of the boys, purposely avoiding the curious glances the other guys are giving him. "Cap," Chris says snarkily. "What were you doing with the new kid? Locker rooms are off limits to anyone not on the team on game days. Thought you were teaching the new kid how it works around here and that's definitely not how it works." Chris says. He looks like he's willing to fight Niall over this, muscular arms crossed over his chest.

The blond just chuckles for all its worth looking entirely unimpressed at his team member. "Yeah, Chris, well you leave taking care of the 'new kid' on my hands. How does that sound?" Niall claps his hands and turns to the rest of the team. "Alright lads who's ready to smash this game?"

On the other side of the field, Zayn and Louis sit back on the bleachers as they watch the cheerleaders stretch before they do their routines. Louis smells like weed and Zayn laughs at the blue eyed boy who won't quit talking about Harry's thighs and how tight his top is and everything in between.

"You know," Louis says before sloppily pointing at the field. "We're like our own cheerleaders. Like, look at my beautiful boyfriend out there and look at your boyfriend out there." Zayn looks to where Louis's pointing to Niall running around and yelling like some animal. The word boyfriend makes something burn in his chest that he can't look over, but he tries to for a high Louis's sake. "So we're like cheering them on from here and being like good boyfriends like." Louis rambles on and on about his nonsense, but Zayn doesn't let his eyes leave the blond guy he's brought into his life.

Niall is something else entirely, something different from anything he's ever experienced in his life. He never thought he'd be in any position like this, silently cheering on his popular boyfriend from the stands and holding his breath as Niall disappears into throngs of people, but emerges with nothing but a smile across his face. Louis is still screaming from beside him and Zayn doesn't have the mind to wonder if it's for Liam or for Harry, just lets him do as he pleases.

The game lasts hours, but when it's all done, Zayn is glad he went when he spots Niall running out with his team, a trophy in hand. Louis is still screaming beside him, but he soon leaves the stands and runs to hug Harry. As Zayn watches his mates embrace on the field amongst other girlfriends running to meet their trophy winning boyfriends, he feels a pang of jealousy. The blond boy meets his gaze and even though every part of Zayn is telling him to run out there, he stays in place and instead claps.

When Zayn can finally get his hands on Niall in the locker room later that night, neither of the two can keep their hands to themselves. "Hmm, is this what I get for winning?" Niall smirks in a joke, but no part of him is joking when he lifts Zayn from his thighs. The black haired boy never thought he'd be in this position, in any of these positions, but he takes it in stride and with a laugh against Niall's broad shoulder.

"You smell, did you know?" Zayn says lightly. He pulls back from Niall to stare into those deep blue eyes he so loves. "Should we get you out of here? Ya know, before the janitors come in or someone spots us?" Zayn lets worry take over for the second it takes before Niall attaches his lips to his neck.

If only they'd known somebody was already watching.

**

After school a few days after the game, Zayn is in the art room finishing a project he'd been assigned when he looks out the window to spot Niall in the hall. He puts the paintbrush down in the water basin with a smile, but as he stands to bring Niall into the room, he spots more guys all donning their varsity jackets standing around Niall, including that Chris guy from the game. Zayn can see Niall move towards the door and try to block it, but it's to no use when the door opens and Zayn only sees star football players.

"Hey, fag boy," Chris speaks. Zayn feels his heartbeat pick up as they move closer, Niall no longer in sight. He puts away his acrylic paints and covers his easel as a precaution, knowing the bullies wouldn't go so far as to damage school property. He turns to them then, all of the guys staring him down with smirks etched across their faces.

"I-I don't think you should be in here." Zayn stammers. He grabs his paintbrushes and water basin and takes it to the sink, trying to appear unphased and strong in their presence. But as he turns to rinse his supplies, a thick hand grips his bicep and turns him.

Zayn looks up in fear to piercing hazel eyes. "Don't fucking ignore us, prick. What are you doing with Niall? We saw your name in his phone and in the locker rooms on game day. He's straight, ya know? You'll be nothing more than a tight ass." The guy pushes Zayn harder against a nearby stand, hand still gripping Zayn's arm, a glass cup falling from the shelf and shattering across the ground. "Is that all you want to be, cocksucker? He's not gonna fall in love with you. While he's at the top of his game?" Zayn tries to keep standing, but the guy dips his fingers in still drying paint and grips Zayn's chin hard.

"You better not mess with him and his game. If you fuck up our chances of winning at states, I will make sure your life is hell, faggot," the guys sneers with finality. The acrylic under Zayn's nose is strong and when the guy pushes Zayn back, Zayn can't catch himself and he lands on the floor, hand right in the glass shards on the floor. He holds in his screech of pain and waits and watches as the broader guys leave the room in dead silence. When the door shuts, Zayn whimpers out, bringing his hand up to his face and looking at the shards of glass covered in rose paint red blood.

Zayn doesn't look up when the door opens, just curls up further until the presence that has come into the room doesn't get near him or try to interact with him. Only then does he look up and stare into dangerous blue eyes.

"What do you want?" Zayn spits as he stands and rushes to the sink. Gently, he turns the tap and reaches for the shards with his clean hand. He pulls one out, wincing back and holding in the tears.

Niall immediately moves towards Zayn, one hand holding the artist's wrist and the other reaching for the shards. "This is gonna hurt, love," he says softly before pulling another out.

"Cause you haven't hurt me enough, right?" Zayn says under his breath. It makes Niall stop for a minute before he turns to Zayn and stares at him seriously.

"How did I hurt you, Zayn? What did I do?" Niall says with exasperation. He doesn't know what he did to Zayn, as far he remembered, he hadn't done anything. He gave Zayn all the attention he wanted and deserved and he respected him. He tried everything he could to please Zayn. How did he hurt him?  
  
Zayn turns to Niall with tears in his eyes and sadness coursing through his veins. "Just you not knowing what you did is bad enough, Niall!" Zayn said loudly, but crying out when he accidentally clenches his hand.

"Well can you explain?" Niall's grip on Zayn's wrist tightens as he goes to pull another shard out.

"I shouldn't have to. You should fucking know what you did. Or, actually, what you didn't do."

"Baby, I-" Zayn felt the tears start slipping down his cheeks and he suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Art is my entire life, Niall. And you-" Zayn hiccupped a breath and closed his eyes. "You watched your stupid friends ruin my art for me. You watched them make fun of me and you stood there and let them keep hurting me and my dreams. You didn't do anything to stop it or even attempt to and that hurts so much more than what they did. At least they didn't pretend to love me and take it away from me." Zayn was sobbing loudly at that point, his entire body racking with the cries.

Niall hasn't moved from his spot, still staring at the black haired boy in sadness. He loved Zayn, loved him more than he'd ever loved anyone, but he had to do what he had to do. Even if that meant doing anything to hide his and Zayn's relationship.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Why did they come in here? I saw you, blocking them, like, why didn't you stay out there?" Zayn accuses in a whisper. The hurt in his voice is evident and Niall hates that he's the reason it's back in his voice. "Niall, why didn't you stop them?"

Niall breaks then, knows he can't lie and inflict more pain on Zayn. "Baby, they said they were going to tell the school. And-And I, I couldn't-" Zayn pulls his wrist back from Niall's grip. "Zayn, please-"

"Fuck you, Niall. I've been hurt by plenty of guys in my life, but never like this. I knew you wouldn't change. I hate you." Zayn takes the last shard of glass out of his palm before grabbing his things and leaving the room.

Niall watches him leave, watches Zayn leave the room with tears in his eyes and a bleeding palm and he feels his own tears start coming at the thought of how he'd fucked up.

**

Zayn heard commotion from the main cafeteria and he stayed in place considering he didn't want to see another straight hoco proposal. He was just sitting by himself when he heard it, the questionable whisper of his name. His head perked up immediately, eyes scanning the ground for someone familiar. He couldn't see through the masses and when he got too curious, he had to go and check on his own.

Probably astonished by the new kid attempting to socialize, people parted for him so he could get through the circle that had been made. Standing in the middle of it, the whispers around him only got louder and more questioning. Keeping his head down, he trudged on.

Finally, when he was out of the bounds of people, he was stood in the middle and saw what all the chatter was about.

Niall was there, all dressed in a nice button down and slacks, with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. He looked sharp and elegant beneath the big sign above him. Zayn was too astonished to notice at first, but he soon glanced up to it and gasped out loud.

There, in big block letters, was written out I'm not flawless like your art or even close to enough to deserve your heart, but can you give me this start at homecoming?

Zayn was gobsmacked and as people around him stared, he got more and more stressed. He could hear laughing beside him and could hear murmuring from all around and he turned away from the group and speed walked right out of the school.

Zayn was ready to get his bike and get the hell out, but someone grabbed his wrist before he could.

"Zayn, wait," Niall was still there and people were laughing and recording from all sides and Zayn felt the anxiety rise up in his throat like bile. He hated this, this spotlight and this publicity. He hated that Niall still didn't get it.

"Please, not with all these people around," Zayn whispers before breaking away and riding off on his bike, away from the laughs and the utter humiliation written across his face.

"He's such a joke, Ni. Can't even tell he's being pranked," Chris says coming out in front of him. All of the football team is standing behind him as they laugh at the figure quickly

"Fuck you, Chris. He's not a joke and neither is what we have. I'm gay and I'm dating him so if you have a problem with him, you have a bigger fucking problem with me." Niall doesn't let the words settle, just throws them out in a flurry of anger and heat of the moment stress. When they do set in though, his eyes widen and he walks forward to his car at the shocked glances from everyone around him. They're all staring at him in silence and Niall just gets into his car without another care.

Niall drives down familiar roads until he gets to the soft blue house he loves so much. No cars are parked in the driveway, but the blue and silver bike is haphazardly lying on its side in the grass out front. Niall doesn't have time or worry to get it as he parks and rushes up to the door.

"What do you want, Niall?" Zayn says as soon as he opens the door, eyes red rimmed and puffy. It physically hurts Niall to see him like that all because of him.

"Zayn, I - Can I come in?" Niall tries to pull his best puppy dog face and when that fails to even bring a quirk of lips to Zayn's face, Niall tries more begging. "Please, Zayn, look I love you. I fucked up, I know, but please let me in and talk to me. Let me know what's going on."

It takes a quiet look and soft little words, until Zayn opens the door and he beckons Niall in. The blond's been inside Zayn's house only a handful of times but he's never been in Zayn's room. It's small and quaint, a beautiful room with the nicest color yellow on the wall. Zayn moves to shut the door before he sits on the bed expectantly. Niall takes the seat at the desk, all the nerves possible eating him up from the inside.

"So why are you here?" Zayn says. He has a stone cold look in his face, uncrackable and unreadable. "No lies, complete truth. If you tell me one fucking lie, you're out of my house and out of my life." Zayn speaks with all the strength and forcefulness he needs and Niall completely believes his words.

"Zayn, I'm here to apologize. I'm sorry I left you alone in that room and I'm sorry I let fear take over and I wasn't enough for you. I don't exactly expect you to take me right back, but I want you to know I love you. I love you so fucking much and I won't be ashamed of you. Not ever again." Niall can't stop the strain of tears from falling and he lets them go. "I'll leave, if you want."

But Zayn doesn't let him get up, not without grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "You're not lying?" Zayn looks vulnerable and seems impossibly smaller than he's ever been. "You love me? Like, love me love me?" There are tears in his eyes and Niall can see him for all his worth and can see a life where Zayn isn't there. He sees a moment where Zayn isn't all around him and he isn't completely dumbfounded by Zayn every second of every day and he can't handle it. He doesn't want this thought to become a reality, not ever, and he won't let it.

"I love you. I will never lie to you again, Zayn, fuck," Niall says in a breath before he pulls Zayn into his chest and never lets go of the boy he's pressed so hard into his life. 


End file.
